


Social Media Illiterate (But Also I Miss You)

by PadawanRyan



Series: Quarantine 'Verse (aka Close Enough to Reality) [3]
Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: COVID-19, Coronavirus, Established Relationship, Fluff and Crack, Grad Student Problems, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Quarantine, References to Smut, Teensy Bit of Angst, TikTok, procrastination
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:20:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24261970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PadawanRyan/pseuds/PadawanRyan
Summary: “See there, you’re considering it! That wasn’t a no!” He was going to lock the door as soon as the pandemic was over so Pete could never get in the house. “Fine,no, Pete,” he responded before the other man could continue his nagging.----------Patrick's starting to get a little frustrated in quarantine, and Pete's not making things any easier by nagging him about...a social media app?
Relationships: Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz
Series: Quarantine 'Verse (aka Close Enough to Reality) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720804
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	Social Media Illiterate (But Also I Miss You)

**Author's Note:**

> I've actually been thinking about this fic for a couple days, it just popped into my head one day, but I've been so busy reading other fics - quarantine has me rereading all my bookmarks - and still procrastinating, but since I made some minor progress on my PhD comp earlier today, I was feeling motivated to actually write this thing.

Never, not even during a global pandemic where the news seemed even weirder than fiction, did Patrick ever expect to hear those words come out of Pete’s mouth. “Excuse me?” he asked, thinking perhaps that he misheard.

“You should get a TikTok!”

Nope, that’s exactly what he heard the first time. “Should I know what that is?”

“Fuck, I forgot that you’re technologically illiterate.” Patrick held his tongue when Pete said that because _what the hell?_ He wasn’t technologically illiterate – he could record entire albums by himself! – but considering the whole Zoom debacle, he supposed Pete was justified enough in making the comment. “Okay,” Pete began again, “it’s this social media app—”

“Okay, I didn’t say anything when you said the ‘technologically illiterate’ thing but Pete,” he tried to reason, “you _know_ I’m social media illiterate.”

On the other end of the phone, Pete scoffed. “No way man, you used to be on Twitter _all the time_. You even had an Instagram account! You still do, actually, even if you never—”

“Pete,” he tried again, “when have you seen me _actively use_ social media in the last while?”

“Okay, point.” It didn’t sound like he actually believed that it was a point, but whatever, Patrick could handle Pete. “But! Hear me out.”

Patrick pinched the bridge of his nose. He was going to regret this.

“It’s this social media app,” Pete began to explain again when Patrick remained silent, “where you make videos. Remember Vine? Kinda like Vine. And some other app — it was called ‘Music’ something, I think? I didn’t keep up with that one. Anyway! You make these videos with music clips – or your own audio, it can be whatever you want – and you edit them and they’re supposed to just be really funny or relatable or whatever shit you wanna make.”

“Pete, you expect me to be making videos? I can barely write a one-hundred-and-forty word tweet.”

“Actually, it’s two-hundred-and-eighty characters now.”

Patrick rolled his eyes. “I think that’s a pretty valid example of how much I _do not use_ social media these days.”

“Okay, another point. But!” God, Pete had so many _buts_. Actually, he had one _really nice_ butt, and Patrick missed it a lot right — fuck, he shouldn’t let himself get derailed, at least not when this wasn’t one of those late at night under the covers phone calls. “But! I miss your face and it would make my day to see videos of you.”

Alright, that _was_ sweet, but Patrick knew Pete. “You can see my face anytime you want. Why are we even doing phone calls? We could FaceTime.”

“You’re the one who said FaceTime prevents you from sticking the phone on your shoulder when you’re trying to multitask.”

Pete had a point. “And you’re right — I was right. Whatever. We can still FaceTime sometimes though, I miss your face too. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of it when I’m not trying to work in the studio or make dinner or juggle the kids or—”

“I get it Pattycakes.” He could hear the laughter in Pete’s tone. “But you should still consider it.”

“What would I even do with a TikTok?”

“See there, you’re considering it! That wasn’t a no!” He was going to lock the door as soon as the pandemic was over so Pete could never get in the house. “Fine, _no_ , Pete,” he responded before the other man could continue his nagging.

“Fine, fine. I won’t bug you about it again.”

* * *

But Patrick knew Pete, so he was not surprised at all when days later, Pete suggested again, “you should get a TikTok.”

“ _No_ , Pete.”

“But why not? You could even ask the kids for help, I’m sure they’d have so much fun—”

“Look, I get that you and Bronx have been bored while stuck in quarantine and you’ve needed something to do together, but that’s just not something I’m into.” He thought for a moment. “Plus, my kids are a little younger than Bronx.”

“Little kids are creative masterminds, ’Trick. You’d have an even better advantage.”

Patrick raised an eyebrow even though Pete couldn’t even see him. “You also have two little kids, one who’s even littler than both of mine—”

“Don’t remind me! You have no idea what it’s like to be quarantined with a toddler,” the other man whined.

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

Pete sounded like he was running a hand through his hair as he responded, “yeah but _fuck_ , I love MJ – she’s my baby, she’s my princess – but she’s _so annoying_ sometimes. Why do toddlers hate you, ’Trick?”

Patrick couldn’t resist retorting with, “toddlers don’t hate _me_ ,” before continuing, “but you could probably talk to Joe, see what he’s been doing.”

“He’s busy [posting on Instagram about his Jewish hair](https://www.instagram.com/p/CAQfaVShU2Y/).”

“Huh.”

“So yeah, anyway, you should get a TikTok,” Pete nagged again.

“Pete, you’re doing like, an interview almost everyday — sometimes more than one a day! You tell me these things every single time we talk, which is _also_ everyday. You have three children at home, two of which are still in single digits, and you’re telling me that you are still bored enough that you’re going to relentlessly nag me about getting an app I don’t care about just because you, and I quote, ‘miss my face’?” Shit, maybe that was a little harsh.

There was silence for a moment and Patrick started to feel guilty. Yeah, he knew Pete, but he never wanted to actually make Pete feel bad. He had a hard time holding back sometimes when it came to his best friend and partner – Pete had always been like an overgrown child who pushed buttons easily and _on purpose_ – but ultimately he knew that Pete meant well, and that the man never actually intended to piss him off. Sure, irritate him, but not actually _anger him_. This quarantine was really getting to him.

“Sorry,” he said quietly when Pete still didn’t respond. “I didn’t mean that. I love you and I’m glad you’re having fun with Bronx.”

“I love you too, Pattycakes.” Pete didn’t sound like he was broken up about the whole situation, and when the man jumped right into an enthusiastic explanation of what he had planned for the upcoming week, Patrick no longer felt guilty about biting at him.

 _Biting. Unggghh_. He really had to stop thinking about this stuff during their daytime calls.

* * *

True to his word – well, not that Pete actually _gave_ him any word, but Patrick knew how to read the man’s tone – Pete did not bug him again about the TikTok thing.

So that’s why, when Patrick was in the studio and checking on a couple things while dinner was simmering away upstairs and Pete was in his ear on the phone, he might have exploded a little when the other man began, “hey you should—”

“No! I’ve told you a thousand times, no! I am not getting a TikTok. I thought we talked about this! Why are you still nagging me about this? I don’t fucking _want_ to get a TikTok and you don’t seem to fucking take _no_ for an answer. What the hell, Pete? Why is this so goddamn important, huh?”

Silence. Finally, after a few seconds, Pete said, “actually, I was gonna say you should check on dinner because you said it would need about twenty minutes to simmer and it’s been twenty minutes…”

Shit. _Fuck_. He did it again. He flipped out on Pete and this time _Pete didn’t even do anything_.

“Fuck.” He ran his hand down his face. “I’m so sorry Pete, I really didn’t—”

“No, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have bugged you about it before even after you said no, and that’s my bad. I’m sorry.”

Patrick shook his head, forgetting that the other man couldn’t see him. “No, it’s not your fault. Don’t feel like you have to apologize for _me_ losing my temper. I’ve just been a little irritated lately, being stuck at home and everything and just not being able to see you, and even though we have those phone calls almost every night, I feel like I’m a teenager again because it’s _never enough_ and god…I’m sorry Pete,” he explained. “I can’t wait until this is over.”

“Me either.” More silence. “So wait,” Patrick knew where this was going. “Are you saying that you’re pissed off because _you want to fuck me?_ ”

Patrick might have mumbled, “or maybe I want _you_ to fuck _me_ ,” in response.

And because Patrick knew Pete, he knew the other man had broken out into a smile on the other end. “Aww Pattycakes, really?”

“Shut up. We shouldn’t be talking about this right now. This is still a daytime call, there is totally a chance that one or more kids could walk in on either end right now, so let’s just…wait until tonight, okay? But yes,” he decided to clarify before putting an end to the subject, “I do.”

“Don’t worry, ’Trick. As soon as this is all over, I’ll fuck you so hard that you’ll feel like you’re losing your virginity all over again.”

“That’s not exactly appealing, you know. That just sounds awkward.”

“Patrick,” Pete said, sounding both amused and serious at the same time. “Go check on dinner.”

“Right. Thanks.” God, was he ever flustered. “Sorry again, I really don’t want to get mad at you, especially over something so trivial.”

“It’s okay, ’Trick. Just do for me one thing, okay? I promise I won’t ask for anything else as long as I live—” and Patrick knew damn well that that was a lie, “—but just do this one thing for me first.”

“No, Pete,” he repeated as he reached the kitchen, “I am _not_ getting a TikTok.”

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on social media! I'm **padawanryan** on [Tumblr](https://padawanryan.tumblr.com/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/PadawanRyan), and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/padawanryan/). ✌️


End file.
